Incorporated in a manufacturing system of pressure or impact receiving bodies, determining for a direction-wise cushioning

ABSTRACT

This is a body ( 1 ) that may become, for example, a mattress with one density or another, thickness and size, which has various housings or hollows ( 2 ) in an inclined arrangement, this same body ( 1 ) being able to present hollows or housings ( 2 ) with a different inclination, a different arrangement and different size and have inward protrusions ( 3 ) or side branches ( 4 ) to provide, in the first case, greater hardness to the area where the hollows ( 2 ) are located and in the second case, to provide greater softness to the area of the body ( 1 ) where the respective hollows or housings ( 2 ) are located, all of them, some or those corresponding to these areas or others, being able to incorporate a filling that may range from air under pressure to a filling of any kind of material, including reinforcements ( 11  and  11 ′) with more or less rigidity to provide the corresponding area greater or less strength.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention refers to improvements incorporated in a manufacturing system for pressure or impact receiving bodies executed on an original cushioning body, offering the property of enabling a direction-wise decomposition of the forces or stresses received, forces which constituting the purpose of the intended cushioning, due to the system of this patent may be harnessed to improve the effective practical performance of the equipment or device to which this cushioning system is incorporated, preferably mattresses or cushions that will have hollows according to a preferably inclined arrangement, with different configurations, sizes and arrangements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally the cushioning provided by a body such as a mattress, the soles of footwear, etc, is performed by pressure and without shifting such that the cushioning effect is limited and logically will depend on the density of the corresponding body.

Patent PCT/ES 2008000702 describes a cushioning system has been developed with directional capacity determining an unquestionable advance in the technique known until now and performed for the attenuation of pressures or impacts in very different situations, particularly in resting items so extended like mattresses and cushions.

The subject matter of the present invention is to provide some improvements in the prior art described in the mentioned patent in order to improve the measures of cushioning forces, moreover obtaining a harnessing of the forces resulting from the cushioning performed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The body being considered may consist of any type of suitable material, with more or less density, which may be uniform in all its extension, or have areas of greater hardness than others, all the latter as is conventional, having the particularity that the body being considered has several housings or hollows, that may be empty, filled with air under pressure, incorporate filling items and even springs, anyway constituting a body which under a pressure or impact over it provides a direction-wise cushioning, as a consequence of the inclined arrangement of the hollows or housings.

These hollows or housings, when the body is, for example, a mattress or a cushion, may have different configurations, even have a different size, some being more inclined than others, as well as having inward protrusions or not, to provide more or less hardness to the body or mattress being considered.

Hence, when a mattress is being considered, and it is desired that, for example, the area that has to support greater weight, the intermediate area or that of the back, is more reinforced, then the housings may have a greater number of inward protrusions than the rest, providing a very reinforced area on having this type of housing, the same occurring with the head area or even with the foot area.

Likewise, the hollows or housings may also have side branches to favour the compass effect, as the body may also only have hollows or housings in a determined part thereof, as may be the head area when considering a mattress, and even having an extreme space in this area designed to favour an obstacle free displacement, that is to prevent the impact with the bed headboard.

As a result, by means of the characteristics of the body, purpose of the invention, a mattress may be obtained with areas of different hardness, that is harder areas, softer areas and areas of intermediate hardness, depending on if they correspond to the area of the back, head, feet or lumbar zone, such that if the hollows or housings established in the body have opposite inclinations, the former will have a double prophylactic and therapeutic function, resulting especially interesting for the treatment of illnesses and back problems, such as disc hernias or protrusions, lumbar aches or sciatica, since thanks to these opposite inclinations of the hollows, a smooth vertebral “decompression” is obtained.

On the other hand, the hollows may even be interconnected and incorporate air or gas under pressure, providing them greater hardness, or filling or reinforcement elements, including springs, some of them being equipped with reinforcement and others without, that is, to combine filling means with others within the same body of the mattress and even have reinforcements occupying part of the hollows as regards to width, allowing that these reinforcements are arranged with one or other inclination, constituting in these cases reinforcements that enhance the compass effect of the mattress when the body of the invention is made in such a way. If air or gas is incorporated in the hollows by means of pneumatic chambers the strength of the mattress may be manually modified by the user. Also the possibility of incorporating an automatism in these cases is foreseen, performing a direction-wise massage by means of the sequential inflation and deflation of said air chambers.

Furthermore, it should be mentioned that the mattress may be complemented with an upper comfort layer, superimposed over the former, to facilitate stretching and whose comfort layer may likewise have holes or slits, such that in combination with the means the body or mattress incorporate regarding housings and hollows and the filling thereof, the mattress may be adapted to the requirements of the user.

Among the most important advantages derived from the body with the direction-wise cushioning system, purpose of the invention, executed as a mattress, the following may be mentioned:

-   -   Better ventilation of the mattress is obtained due to the         cushioning effect incorporated.     -   Less weight and therefore the mattress may be more easily         transported and handled, thanks to its internal hollows or         housings.     -   Economic saving in production since less material is required on         having these hollows or housings.     -   Better control of the rigidity of the resulting product or         mattress, only having to vary the shape and arrangement of the         hollows and housings and the filling incorporated to them.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description to be made and with the purpose of providing a greater understanding of the invention characteristics, according to a preferable example of a practical execution thereof, a set of drawings with an illustrative and non-limiting character is included as an integral part of said description:

FIG. 1.—This shows a detail of a section of part of the body with a direction-wise cushioning system executed according to the purpose of the invention.

FIG. 2.—This shows a sectional view like that of the previous figure where the housings or hollows have a different configuration to that of FIG. 1. This configuration favours the compass effect.

FIG. 3.—This shows a sectional view of the body that may correspond, for example, to the head of a mattress, this only having hollows in the area of said head.

FIG. 4.—This shows a sectional view of a complete mattress where the different areas thereof may be seen with different types of bodies or housings, with opposite inclinations, also different configurations and with details that provide more or less hardness to the corresponding area of the mattress.

FIG. 5.—This shows a detail of a section of a body part where hollows or housings may be observed incorporating reinforcements, like, as may be appreciated, for example, an area corresponding to the mattress head where the body is materialised, with the housings or hollows interconnected and the reinforcements of less force than those foreseen in other hollows of a more intermediate area of the mattress body.

FIG. 6.—This shows a variation of the execution shown in the previous figure, where the reinforcements have a different inclination to that of the housing hollows, being located in a practically vertical arrangement, to provide greater strength to the mattress.

FIG. 7.—Finally, this shows a mattress with the silhouette of a person's body located over the former, with the interposition of a comfort layer and where different areas of the mattress may be seen with more or less reinforcement depending on the configuration, arrangement and other characteristics of the hollows or housings the mattress hollow incorporates.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As may be seen in the mentioned figures, and more specifically in FIG. 1 the one-piece body (1) intended for loading by way of pressure or impact in a first direction is provided with the direction-wise cushioning system, purpose of the invention, has several hollows or housings (2) that may have a different shape, size and inclination, since in all cases these housings or hollows (2) are executed with principal axes inclined with respect in an inclined way with respect to the first direction of the body or mattress, such that some of them, as indicated in the mentioned FIG. 1 include an inward protrusion (3) providing greater rigidity to the area where the hollows or housings (2) have been made with this characteristic detail of the inward protrusion.

FIG. 2 shows the body (1), where the hollows or housings (2) are made with a side branch (4) providing greater softness, that is, less rigidity of the body (1), and favouring the compass effect the body (1) has to make when a person is lying over it, in the case that this body (1) constitutes a mattress as shown in the following figures. Specifically in FIG. 3, the body (1) has, corresponding to the area of the head, housings or hollows (2) with the side branch (4) providing an area of less hardness than the rest of the body (1) which does not have the mentioned hollows or housings, besides being foreseen that in the extreme of this area of the head there is an opening (5) facilitating displacement and preventing that the movement of the body (1) is limited by impact with the bed headboard.

In FIG. 4, the body (1) is shown consisting of a complete mattress, with the hollows or housings (2) according to different configurations and even a different inclination, those foreseen in the area of the head with respect to those in the lumbar or feet areas, being the head area of this body of the mattress (1) that referred to as (6), the intermediate area (7) and the feet area (8), it being possible to observe that in the latter zone, the housings (2) have a side branch (4) providing a softer area to this part of the mattress, whilst in the intermediate area the hollows or housings (2) have one or even two inward protrusions (3), providing a harder area, in combination with the different or opposite inclination of some or others and the arrangement of some intermediate housings (2′), showing in the head (6) area, an arrangement of housings or bodies (2) with a similar configuration to the feet area (8), resulting in an area of also less rigidity than the central or support area for the user's back, the opening (5) being seen in said FIG. 4, which determines the space to facilitate the displacement and to prevent that movement of the body (1) is limited by impact with the bed headboard. That is, in the execution shown in this FIG. 4, the mattress has a head area (6) softer than the intermediate area (7), which is that of greatest hardness and the feet area (8) also softer, completing said body (1) of the mattress with a comfort area (9) that may have holes (10) to facilitate stretching.

Likewise, it should be said that the hollows or housings (2) may be empty as shown in the figures considered until now, with the possibility of being filled by a manual or automatic system with air or gas under pressure, by which the user may fill the hollows or housings according to his/her weight and needs, obtaining a desired control. The possibility of inflation or deflation has been foreseen, executed by an automatism, which acting sequentially produces a directional massage effect.

With respect to the side protrusions (4) of determined hollows or housings (2) the former favour the compass effect or directed cushioning when an impact is produced by the support of the body, for example, of a person, over the mattress or body (1) constituting it.

In FIG. 5, the body (1) is shown corresponding to the head area of the mattress, in which the opening (5) may be seen or the margin of displacement as mentioned above, and where the hollows or housings (2) may be empty, as seen for one of them or incorporate a filling comprising reinforcements (11), that may be helicoid springs, semi-rigid parts, carbon fibre, etc, without discarding other types of filling providing greater hardness to this area of the body (1), or the hollows or housings (2) being interconnected as also may be seen in FIG. 5, and equipped with reinforcements (11′) of less force than the reinforcements (11) providing a softer area to this part where the hollows (2) are connected with the reinforcements (11′) than the area of the hollows (2) with the reinforcements (11).

In a variation of execution of that previously considered and shown in FIG. 6, it is seen how the reinforcements (11) do not totally occupy the corresponding body (2), but are of a smaller size and moreover are provided with a different inclination, in this case almost vertical, to provide a different hardness.

In either case, the hollows or housings (2) may be filled with air, be empty, incorporate reinforcements (11-11′), or other type of fillings (13) providing greater rigidity or hardness to the corresponding area where these fillings are located and likewise depending on the greater or lesser rigidity of them.

Finally, in FIG. 7, the body (1) of the mattress with the comfort layer (9) may be seen and on it a user (12), where the different configurations and arrangements of the hollows or housings (2) may be seen, in some cases empty, in others with a filling (13), determining an area of greater hardness or reinforcement where these fillings (13) are located, in other cases with one or more internal protrusions (3), providing greater hardness, when existing, in other cases with side protrusions (4), providing softer areas and establishing the compass effect, etc, the different hollows (2) capable of even having opposite inclinations in the body (1) of the mattress and in any case with holes (10) in the comfort layer (9), to facilitate stretching as mentioned previously. 

1. The improvement in a pressure or impact receiving body (1), formed as a single piece and intended to receive pressure or impact in a first direction, comprising; the provision of internal housings or hollows (2) having central axes in an inclined direction to said first direction, the internal housings or hollows being empty or incorporating reinforcements (11-11′) or filling materials (13) of variable rigidity.
 2. Improvements, according to claim 1 characterised because the hollows or housings (2) may have the same or different inclination in the body (1) where they are made and have the same or different configuration and size.
 3. Improvements, according to claim 1, characterised because the hollows or housings (2) have one or more internal protrusions (3) providing greater strength to the area where this type of hollows or housings (2) are made.
 4. Improvements, according to claim 2, characterised because the hollows or housings (2) have side protrusions (4) favouring the compass effect in the cushioning provided by said hollows (2), providing the corresponding area with less strength.
 5. Improvements, according to claim 1, characterised because the body (1), comprises a mattress, may be, totally or partially in the hollows or housings (2), with or without filling, with one or other configuration and inclination.
 6. Improvements, according to claim 1, because the hollows or housings (2) may be filled with air or gas under pressure, manually or by means of an automatism giving a direction-wise massage by the sequential inflation or deflation of said air chambers.
 7. Improvements, according to claim 1, characterised because the hollows or housings (2) may incorporate reinforcements (11-11′) or a filling material (13) of variable rigidity, occupy the entire hollow or housing (2), permitting the strength control of the area in question.
 8. Improvements, according to claim 7, characterised because the reinforcements (11-11′) are smaller than the width of the hollows or housings (2), permitting that said reinforcements (11-11′) may be arranged almost vertically, providing greater strength in the area where the hollows having these reinforcements are located.
 9. Improvements, according to claim 1, characterised because the hollows or housings (2) may be interconnected to provide less strength to the area where these connections between hollows or housings (2) are made.
 10. Improvements, according to claim 1, characterised because the body (1) comprises a mattress, is complemented with a comfort layer (9) having holes (10) that facilitate the stretching of the corresponding user (12) when lying on said comfort layer (9), located over the upper surface of the body (1) of the mattress. 